Wenatchee, Wash.-based Stemilt Growers will no longer use anti-ripening agents on pears, saying they compromise optimum flavor.
“Pears can often present a challenge for the retailer as they are not ripe when the consumer is ready to make the purchase,” marketing director Roger Pepperl said in a news release. “When consumers go to the store, they expect the fruit to be ready to eat as soon as they get home — not a week down the road. We found that anti-ripening agents contributed to a product that never reached its potential flavor and was not delivering the consumer with an amazing eating experience.”
Stemilt has placed an emphasis on flavor for pears in recent years and encourages retailers to offer ripened fruit.
“Our RipeRite program helps the ripening process and allows us to pull anti-ripening agents entirely so we can provide customers with a flavorful Rushing Rivers pear from Stemilt,” Pepperl said in the release.
Stemilt conditions fruit in Thermal Tech Tarpless ripening rooms using ethylene, a process similar to those used on avocados and bananas. Along with ripening, the process “increases flavor enzymes and keeps fruit close to their preferred pressures,” per the release.
